ANTI-WAR MARCHES OF NEW TYPE: Washington, D.C.: Protest hits FEMA, ICE
By LeiLani Dowell
Published Oct 4, 2007 2:28 AM
Two months of anti-war activity culminated at the end of September in dynamic encampments to stop war at home and abroad and militant, anti-imperialist and anti-racist demonstrations in both Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
D.C. march steps off from Encampment.
photo: Deirdre Griswold
Here in Washington, during the Sept. 22-29 Encampment to Stop the War at Home and Abroad, more and more participants arrived and staked their tents in front of the Capitol building as the Sept. 29 mass march approached. A real sense of unity could be felt among the many activists from varied struggles who share a common enemy.
A FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) trailer brought by Katrina survivors direct from New Orleans joined the Iraq Veterans Against the War bus, which had been parked in front of the Encampment since Sept. 22. The tent city was treated to a delicious meal of shrimp, crawfish and sausage cooked by the Common Ground Collective organizers who, after traveling more than 17 hours to get to the Capitol from New Orleans, spent the next day cooking the meal.
Encampment participants, mostly women from Code Pink, disrupted a Senate Appropriations Hearing on Sep26 in which Secretary of Defense Robert Gates requested an additional $42 billion in funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gates’s appeal brings the 2008 request for war funds—above and beyond the even larger Pentagon budget—to a record high of almost $190 billion.
Members of the cast of “SiCKO”—Michael Moore’s movie exposing the exploitative for-profit health care system—arrived on Sept. 28 to augment the demand for “Health care, not warfare.”
Other events in the last three days of the Encampment included a meeting on the struggle of survivors for justice in the wake of Hurricane/Rita, and immigrant rights; a delegation that called on the acting Attorney General to free the Cuban Five; a health care vigil; a militant youth action with several targets; and a concert to demand an end to martial law in the Philippines. Rock the Rulers, the week-long concert series of the Encampment, brought cultural inspiration and resistance every night.
Mass march ties issues together
WW photo: Gary Wilson
A preliminary report issued by the Troops Out Now Coalition states: “The march on Saturday, Sept. 29 was a departure in tone and make-up from many past anti-war demonstrations. It was a serious and highly successful effort to involve more community-based organizations and issues and to link the struggle against the war with the struggles against racism, oppression and economic injustice at home.”
A multinational crowd of some 10,000 to 15,000 included contingents from organized labor; lesbian, gay, bi and trans activists; Katrina survivors; International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; the Peoples Organization for Progress; Iraq Veterans Against the War; the Green Party of the U.S., BAYAN USA; and more.
The march route included stops to protest at the offices of FEMA, where Katrina survivors accused the agency of neglect; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where protestors shouted “Melt ICE” and “Stop the raids;” the Department of Social Services; and the Department of Education, where Code Pink, chanting “Books not bombs,” covered up part of the “No child left behind” slogan to read “Every child left behind.”
Speakers and performers at the rally all drew clear links between the war in Iraq and the war at home, including a labor delegation with Brenda Stokely of the Million Worker March Movement, Charles Jenkins and Larry Adams of the New York City Labor Against the War, and members of District Council 37; political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, via a recorded greeting from death row; Malik Rahim, Common Ground Collective; Medea Benjamin, Code Pink; Bernadette Ellorin and Christine Hilo, BAYAN USA; Larry Hamm, People’s Organization for Progress; and David Swanson, After Downing Street.
Also speaking were Ardeshir Ommani of the Stop the War On Iran Campaign and American Iranian Friendship Committee; Ignacio Meneses, National Network on Cuba; Walter Sinche, May 1st Immigrant Rights Coalition; Rosita Romero, Dominican Women’s Development Center; Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Hip Hop Caucus; Adam Kokesh, Iraq Veterans Against the War; Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army veteran and 16-year diplomat who resigned in opposition to the Iraq war; Victor Toro, Chilean leader of MIR being threatened with deportation; Debra Sweet of World Can’t Wait; and Teresita Jacinto Oliva of Mexicanos Sin Fronteras.
Continuing the short, punchy talks were Jared Ball, and Sara “Echo” Steiner, Green Party members; Charlotte Kates of Al-Awda New York, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Pam Africa, International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; political prisoner Leonard Peltier, via a statement; Sonia Umanzon of the FMLN (Faribundo Martí National Liberation Front); Katrina survivors Ivey Parker and Christine Gavin-Lathan; Mohammad Awdallah, U.S. Popular Palestine Conference Network; Ricardo Prado of the Colombian political party Democratic Pole; Tyneisha Bowens of FIST—Fight Imperialism, Stand Together; Larry Holmes, Teresa Gutierrez and Sara Flounders for TONC and the International Action Center; Omowale Clay, December 12 Movement and Friends of Zimbabwe; and Milton St. Germaine, New England Human Rights Organization for Haiti.
Independent media part of movement
While the capitalist media practically boycotted the marches on Sept. 29 and provided limited coverage of the Encampments, independent media was there in force to convey the event’s message to the world. In Your Face radio broadcast daily interviews from the Encampment throughout the week. Pacifica’s KPFK radio was the media sponsor for the Los Angeles march and Encampment.
An enthusiastic report on the march in Washington, D.C., can be heard on the local Indymedia affiliate (dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/141002/). The commentator states: “On the 29th of September, the campaign against the war in occupied Iraq once again took to the streets ... demanding an end not only to the war in occupied Iraq, but the global war on the poor, as fought in New Orleans, fought in Jena, fought on the Mexican border. This was a surprisingly militant march that tied the different aspects of George Bush’s crimes together.
“Apparently Troops Out Now understands that this is not just about Iraq; the same regime that wages war on the people of Iraq is also the regime that sponsors gentrification in our cities and the wholesale incarceration of African-American youth, the vicious fascist crackdown on Latin@ immigrants, and so many other evils. ... All this noise can certainly be heard in Central Cell Block where prisoners are being held.”
The report quoted Larry Adams, who expressed “solidarity with the historic Iraqi resistance, who are on the frontlines of the fight against our common enemy, which is U.S. imperialism.”
Describing the youth action that took place at the end of the rally—which blocked the streets in front of the Capitol until 10 p.m. that night—the reporter concluded: “You can think of the long occupation of Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues as target practice for things that are surely going to come as people get more and more pissed off about this war that is one war from occupied Iraq, to occupied New Orleans, from occupied Palestine to Jena, to the neighborhoods right here in occupied Washington. ... George Bush says ‘Bring it on’; well that’s exactly what we’re gonna do!”
Larry Holmes, Dani Gale, Nana Soul and Pam Parker at D.C. Sept. 29 rally.
WW photo: Liz Green
If polls showed the average person saying that the traditional protest—complete with marches, placards, chants and permits—no longer has a potent effect on an apathetic government and that bureaucrats simply bide their time until the rabid moon bats that have descended upon their provinces return to the trailer parks, projects, flooded wards and mortar-ravaged ghettos that they came from, most activists would be hard pressed to prove them wrong.
But on Sept. 22, something magical began to happen.
The Troops Out Now Coalition began a weeklong Encampment in front of the reflecting pool at the Capitol building. In contrast to the one it held last March, the Encampment would be infused with music. Unlike every other demonstration that took place this year, culture would not simply be a careless afterthought, but rather would provide the fuel needed to draw thousands of people to the demonstration.
Each day, activists spread through the neighborhood, engaging the community, and each night the Encampment grounds sprouted more tents and music filled the hearts of everyone who heard it.
From punk rock to poetry to hip hop, the Troops Out Now Coalition rocked the rulers—hence the name of the weeklong concert, reminiscent of Woodstock minus the psychedelic mushrooms (in most cases).
On Sept. 29, a rally featuring dozens of speakers from across the world addressed several issues, including the right to return for Palestinians and Katrina survivors alike, freedom for political prisoners, the need for health care, housing, better education, an end to the war in Iraq and a halt of plans of impending conquest in Iran, women’s rights, police brutality and more.
Punctuated by live music performances, the gathering alternated between lulling people and firing them up. By 2 p.m. thousands were ready to march on Washington. But the people didn’t walk alone. Thanks to a sound truck that cranked out not only chants and slogans, but anti war anthems like “War” by Edwin Starr and “I’m Black and I’m Proud” by James Brown, marchers couldn’t help but dance their way down the route.
What resulted was a parade with fire, an energetic display of dissent and culture that had people who observed it hanging from their windows waving and cheering and passing cars blaring horns in solidarity. In the front holding the lead banner were elders, youth, whites, Blacks, Latin@s, women and men. On the sidelines women went shirtless, hefting signs that said “Breasts Not Bombs!” When the throng snaked its way around a construction site, labor activists immediately began to flier and converse with the workers. And when those in front made a turn and caught sight of the tail end of the march, complete with a bus proclaiming “Iraq Veterans Against the War,” they were sent into a triumphant frenzy. The sound was deafening, empowering and mighty.
But none of this would compare to the moment when the march reached an underpass close to Third Street and Constitution Avenue. Taking advantage of the natural echo, the protestors began to bellow, letting loose all the rage and frustration against the inept and corrupt U.S. government. They mourned dead soldiers, Iraqi civilians and victims of police brutality and FEMA. They celebrated their own courage and the love with which they championed the people’s rights.
Something spread through the crowd then, something that can never be explained. Whatever it was, it was beautiful and it called for action. And so, hundreds of youth tore away from the procession and commandeered a stretch of road and blocked city traffic claiming it in the name of Freedom for several hours. The more experienced activists responded by making sure they had food, water and legal representation.
Those who attended witnessed an important piece of history, where the gaps between the old and young were bridged, where all colors spoke in the same voice, danced to the same rhythms and carried the same banner.
Black Power! Revolution, then peace!
Power to the people!
The writers are artists and activists with Black Waxx Recordings.
March out on Maryland Avenue Left on 3rd St. Go to Department of Health and Human Services Right on Independence Avenue Left on 4th St. Go to Department of Education Right on C Street Right on Maryland Right on Independence Left on 3rd St. Left on Massachusetts Right on I Street Stop at ICE Right on 4th St. Left on Massachusetts Right on 3rd St.
from the Green Party: All out for D.C. and L.A., September 22-29th
Over four years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Greens continue to call for an immediate end to this war, and accountability at home. Our Gulf Coast remains in shambles, nooses are hung by white children in school yards to intimidate black children, and immigrant families are rounded up in the middle of the night.
As Greens, we must come together to say - the United States needs to get its priorities straight, clean house, and we must bring the troops home NOW! Beginning Saturday, September 22, the Green Party of the United States have a tent set up at the Troops Out Now Coalition's week-long encampment to end the war, on the lawn in front of the Capitol building. We invite all Greens to come to D.C. and L.A. to join with others to resist the continuing war abroad and demand accountability at home.
Jared Ball of the DC Statehood Green Party will speak at the rally on the 29th http://www.voxunion.com/jaredball/ . Ball is a nominee for the Green Party Presidential candidacy. Green Party of the U.S. Co-Chair, Echo Steiner (FL), will co-emcee the rally in Washington D.C. In Los Angeles, GPAX co-chair, Deanna Taylor (UT), and SKCM-Curry of the California Green Party will speak at the rally September 29 in front of the Federal Building. During the D.C. Encampment on Wednesday, September 26 at 5pm, the DC Statehood Party will lead a discussion on D.C. statehood, affordable housing, and preserving neighborhood libraries.
We honor the courage of those thousands who converged this week in Jena, Louisiana, to call out injustice -- we seek to continue in that spirit by calling on Greens to assemble at the halls of power, to speak, to act, and to work together to take our country back for the people.
For information on transportation centers, events like the week of hip hop shows, the youth and student day of action, Impeachment Rally, Stop the War at Home Day, and more, visit www.troopsoutnow.org
To support the Green Party presence at the Encampment and rally, visit the GPAX website at www.gp.org/committees/peace -- and use it to let us know you're coming!
Music with a message hit Washington this week as anti-war activists hosted a concert series to raise awareness for their cause.
"Rock the Rulers" is part of a week-long encampment next to the Capitol's West Side reflecting pool hosted by the Troops Out Now Coalition, a New York City-based grassroots movement, along with Artists and Activists United for Peace.
The movement will hit its peak Saturday, with a march beginning at noon at the Capitol. This is the second encampment this year for Troops Out Now, who teamed up with other organizations to reach a broader range of supporters through music and entertainment.
"We want to make the connection between the war abroad and the war at home," said Troops Out Now Media Liaison LeilLani Dowell. "We realize that culture is a very important part of this too."
Dowell and other organizers and volunteers spent the week putting up tents, booths, and a small stage to vie for attention while debates for war funding rage in Capitol Hill.
"They could force the issue," said Dowell, referring to the Democrats elected to Congress last November. "We are trying to hold them accountable."
The event attracted a wide variety of visitors. Topics of interest brought up at tables and during the entertainment include support for Katrina survivors, Code Pink (a movement of women against war in Iraq), immigrant workers' rights, money for health care, and education.
Each night, from 8 p.m. until midnight, musicians from around the country performed on stage, expressing frustrations and hopes for peace. Though many performers are scheduled for specific slots throughout the week, organizers encourage anyone to come and share their art and passions on stage.
Carol Ann Moccio ’10 is one of the people attracted to the encampment by the prospect of joining music with the anti-war movement. A self-proclaimed Beatles fan and peace activist, Moccio said she found out about "Rock the Rulers" after seeing the movie "Across the Universe" with friends. The Beatles-inspired musical featured the struggle of young Americans during the Vietnam War as they attempted to give peace a chance.
"I was like 'Wow, I want to continue that'," said Moccio. "Hopefully our generation can be as motivated as theirs."
Moccio said looking up "D.C. peace marches" on the Internet led her to the "Rock the Rulers" Web site.
Dowell said she thinks the currently college-aged generation and older ones are fed up with war and are responding to the music.
"We've seen a lot more people come through than the last time," she said. "It's time to heighten the struggle as much as possible."
Moccio said that she thinks that the appeal of music is going to help more students identify with the cause.
"Music is something that is special for everyone," she said, noting that many students may not be incredibly passionate about the anti-war movement, but will find the music a great incentive to become involved.
Michelle Dar of Portland, Ore., biked across the country with her partner and three daughters to participate in the protests. They were part of the "bike for peace" that ended in Washington with participants getting involved in actions for peace.
"We refuse to be silent," Dar said. "We'll put our bodies and our families out there."
Dar says that she and her family have been enjoying the nightly music outside the Capitol. Her daughter Tala danced and sang along to the Black Eyed Pea's "Where is the Love?" on stage Tuesday night. Dar finds the enthusiasm of those at the encampment empowering.
"It's tremendously inspiring, and reminds us why we are here," Dar said. "It gives us the courage to do more. The people have had enough. The people are rising up."
Anti-war activists, veterans, military families and community organizers from across the U.S.—from as far away as Oregon, Florida and Maine—arrived here beginning Sept. 22 for the Encampment to Stop the War at Home and Abroad, a tent city positioned in front of the Capitol building organized by the Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC).
WW photos: LeiLani Dowell
The Encampment will culminate in a march on Sept. 29 with multiple targets: Congress for its complicity in funding the war; the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for its continued racist neglect of the survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices for the anti-worker raids and detentions against immigrants.
On Sept. 22, a large banner was erected that reads, “Congress, the whole world is watching: CUT OFF WAR FUNDS.” The Encampment is timed to coincide with the expiration of the current round of funding for the war and the ongoing debates in Congress. The appropriations passed in the last session of Congress are due to expire on Oct. 1.
Parked in front of the Encampment is the tour bus of Iraq Veterans Against the War, which features large signs reading, “Don’t attack Iran” and “Impeach Bush.” Along with TONC, Code Pink—Women for Peace, the Green Party and others have pitched their tents. More tents will be pitched as Katrina survivors, youth and students, Cuba solidarity and immigrants rights activists arrive in the coming days.
Press conference announces Encampment
Organizers held a press conference Sept. 24 to announce the Encampment and the mass march on Sept. 29. TONC spokesperson Larry Holmes opened, saying, “The Democrats say they want to cut war funding but they can’t get past a veto. But they could simply make sure the funding question doesn’t get to the floor.”
Rev. Lennox Yearwood spoke about unity in the struggle: “I’m so pleased to see support here for the struggle in Jena; I was pleased to hear, in Jena, people talking about how the bombs in Baghdad are affecting people in the United States. ... Our struggles will continue, but we will win.” Yearwood was recently beaten by D.C. police at an anti-war press conference.
Adam Kokesh, co-chair of the board of directors of Iraq Veterans Against the War, described his organization’s demands, including immediate withdrawal of all forces from Iraq—”and we mean Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Blackwater, Halliburton”—and full payment of reparations to the people of Iraq.
Nana Soul of Artists and Activists United for Peace described the weeklong concert being held as part of the Encampment. “The movement needs cultural inspiration, talent and creativity. We know that [Iraq] isn’t the first time that the United States has invaded a sovereign nation. ... We have a chance to translate the [U.S. government’s] actions.”
Representing the Green Party, Vietnam War veteran Rick Clemens stressed: “This war is about imperialism, about the exploitation of labor power and markets of other peoples. There is no thing as ending the war without ending the economic system that perpetuates war—capitalism.”
WW photo: Dustin Langley
Toby Blomé of Code Pink described the encampments their group has undertaken at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s house, after months of her refusing to meet with them to discuss war funding. They plan on visiting her office regularly during the Encampment and will be fasting throughout the week; the group hosted an organizing meeting on Sept. 24 at the Encampment.
Vernon Hoffman, who biked 4,500 miles with his family from Portland, Ore., to join the Encampment, said he’d “rather bike for peace than kill for oil.”
Lastly, a young war resister described how he enlisted in the military in 2005 because of limited career opportunities in his rural hometown. However, he says, “I happened to join at the same time as Hurricane Katrina, and I saw on TV the bodies floating in the streets. It really hit home to me. I got out of training 25 weeks later and nothing had changed. Despite all the rhetoric about homeland security and national security, this government’s priorities are not for the people.”
Hub of anti-war activity
The Encampment has become a veritable hub of anti-war activity in the D.C. Metro area. At daily morning and evening meetings, activists converge to plan their outreach strategies to build for the mass march on Sept. 29.
From the Encampment, teams have fanned throughout the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md., areas putting up posters, handing out leaflets, riding in sound cars and talking to students on campuses and workers on the streets. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.
In addition, passersby to the Encampment, including many tourists, have been appreciative of its work. An activist reported that one such person showed his identification card—as an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. He assured the activist that many people in the Green Zone in Iraq are in agreement with the sentiments of the Encampment.
‘Get out of Iraq! Stay out of Iran!’
Responding to the venomous attacks against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his visit to New York for a UN General Assembly meeting, Encampment activists piled into the IVAW bus on Sept. 26 and rode to the White House, where they held a picket line to demand, “Get out of Iraq! Stay out of Iran!” Recalling the demonization of former Iraqi President Sassam Hussein, activists denounced the attacks on Ahmadinejad as an attempt to prepare the U.S. population for an expansion of the war to Iran.
Upcoming events include a discussion on the war at home in Washington, D.C.—where libraries are closing, thousands of units of affordable housing have been lost, and residents can’t vote—hosted by the Green Party; an event entitled “Justice for the Jena 6, Katrina/Rita survivors and immigrant workers: Fighting racism is building solidarity”; a vigil with the cast of the movie “SiCKO” for those who have died due to inadequate health care; a youth and student day of action; and events to free the Cuban 5 and to demand an end to political repression in the Philippines.
Gather at reflecting pool on west side of Capitol at 11 a.m for rally March will step off between 1 and 2 pm, and will pass by the Department of Health and Human Resources, FEMA headquarters and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency headquarters before returning to the Capitol for an ending rally. The purpose of this route is to draw attention to the resources that should be invested in health care instead of being spent on war; the ongoing injustices in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; and the campaign against immigrants. Volunteers needed at 8:30 am.
Nearest METRO stop: Federal Center SW (on Blue line and Orange line) Bus dropoff: west side of 3rd Street between Constitution and Independence (which is at the site of the Encampment to Stop the War) Bus pickup: same location. Buses should make their own parking arrangements at Union Station garage, 40 Massachusetts Ave NE (3 blocks from the rally and march site). Union Station information: 202-371-9441.
Press Conference announces Encampment and Mass March
A press conference was held Sept. 24 to announce the Encampment and the mass march on Sept. 29. Larry Holmes of the Troops Out Now Coalition opened the conference, saying, "The Democrats say they want to cut war funding but they can't get past a veto. We know this isn't true. They could simply make sure the funding question doesn't get to the floor. Meanwhile, Bush is prepared to veto $30 to $35 billion for health care for children."
Holmes also discussed the serious threat of a new war on Iran: "Iranian President Ahmadinejad is being demonized in the media, and we're not naive. We know that they are preparing the population for an expansion of the war in Iraq to war in Iran. But the biggest terrorists are in the world sit in the White House."
Rev. Lennox Yearwood spoke about unity in the people's struggle against multiple wars: "I'm so pleased to see support here at the Encampment for the struggle in Jena; I was pleased to hear, in Jena, people talking about how the bombs in Baghdad are affecting people in the United States. ... If it calls for getting arrested, getting in the way, then we'll get arrested and get in the way. Our struggles will continue, but we will win." Yearwood was recently beaten by D.C. police at an anti-war press conference.
Adam Kokesh, Co-Chair of the board of directors for Iraq Veterans Against the War described his organization's demands, including immediate withdrawal of all forces from Iraq, "and when we say all forces, we mean Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Blackwater, Halliburton"; and full payment of reparations to the people of Iraq.
Nana Soul of Artists and Activists United for Peace, a TONC member organization, described the weeklong concert that is being held as part of the Encampment. "The movement needs cultural inspiration, talent and creativity. Iraq may be the issue today, but we know that this isn't the first time that the United States has invaded a sovereign nation. They use tools at home like not funding health care and education. We have a chance to translate these actions."
Rick Clemens, Ann Wilcox and Joyce Robinson-Paul represented the Green Party. Clemens, a Vietnam War veteran, stressed: "This war is about imperialism, about the exploitation of labor power and markets of other peoples. There is no thing as ending the war without ending the economic system that perpetuates war--capitalism." Wilcox discussed the effects of the war at home in Washington, D.C., where neighborhood libraries are being closed and thousands of affordable housing units have been lost.
Toby Blomé of Code Pink Women for Peace described the two encampments their group has undertaken at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's house, after she refused to meet with them to discuss war funding for three months. They plan on going to her office regularly during the Encampment and will be fasting for the week as "another way to show commitment to ending the occupation and bringing the troops home."
Vernon Hoffman, who biked 4,500 miles with his family from Portland, Oregon to join the Encampment, said he'd "rather bike for peace than kill for oil." He described how throughout the country, people took opened up their homes for the family and their anti-war message.
Lastly, a young war resister described how he enlisted in the military in 2005 because of limited career opportunities in his hometown. However, he says, "I happened to join at the same time as Hurricane Katrina, and I saw on TV the bodies floating in the streets. It really hit home to me. I got out of training 25 weeks later and nothing had changed. Despite all the rhetoric about homeland security and national security, this government's priorities are not for the people."
Other actions at the Encampment today included an event on Pelosi hosted by Code Pink, and an outreach sound truck caravan through the streets of D.C. to mobilize for the march on the 29th.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts: LeiLani Dowell 1-917-701-7593 Dustin Langley 1-646-354-8056 Frank Neisser 1-617-792-8136 http://troopsoutnow.org
When: Monday, September 24, 3:00 p.m.
Where: Anti-war Encampment on the West Side of the Capitol Reflection Pool, near 3rd Street on the Capitol Mall
THE DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS HAVE THE POWER TO CUT OFF WAR FUNDING--THE MOVEMENT MUST MAKE THEM DO IT
MARCH ON WASHINGTON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 STOP THE WAR BY CUTTING OFF WAR FUNDING
The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) will be holding a press conference on Monday, Sept. 24 at 3 pm at the site of a weeklong anti-war Encampment, on the Capitol mall at the west side of the reflection pool.
Participants in Monday's press conference will include:
• Adam Kokesh, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and other Iraq veterans • Members of the Hoffman family, which traveled 4,500 miles by bicycle from Portland, Oregon to attend the Encampment • Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus • Nana Soul, Artists and Activists United for Peace • Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler, Plymouth Congregational Church, DC • Anne Wright, career Army veteran and former State Dept. official • Larry Holmes, Vietnam War GI resister and spokesperson for TONC • Representatives from Code Pink, the Green Party, the student movement, labor and the community.
This week, Congress begins preparation for voting on President Bush and the Pentagon's request for $200 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Saturday, Sept. 29, thousands will gather at the anti-war Encampment to march and demand that not one more dollar be approved for war.
TONC spokesperson Larry Holmes said: "The Democrats in Congress don't need enough votes to override a presidential veto in order to cut off all war funding. All the leadership of Congress has to do is simply keep any vote on war funding from coming to the floor, or even getting out of the Senate or House Appropriations committees."
Participants at the press conference will discuss plans for the Sept. 29 march and the five days of action at the Encampment before the big march.
There will be a volunteers outreach meeting this week on Wednesday at 7PM. Some of us will already be in Washington at the Encampment. We still need to try to do last minute leafleting at rush hour. When we were out leafleting at Times Square on Saturday afternoon, we met some people who decided to go to March. One man who is an EMS worker came back to tell us that he had called in to his work to get the day off and it was granted.
We will also need many volunteers for many tasks at the demonstration on September 29th. If you are able to take on a task, please come to the table with the "Volunteer sign-in" sign.
Remember to purchase your bus tickets if you haven't already. .
Family bicycles 4500 miles to join Encampment to Stop the War
Vernon Hoffman, Michelle Darr, Tala, Willow and Grace bicycled all the way from Portland,
for more information see www.catalystsofhope.org Oregon to join the Encampment to Stop the War. They will be with us all week and will participate in the national march on September 29.
Momentum for encampment and September 29 growing in DC-MD-VA area
Activity and excitement for the week long encampment against the war at home and abroad and the mass September 29th march is growing here in the MD-DC-VA area as the encampment and march draw closer. Posters and stickers are appearing all over the DC area letting people know about the activities. Local schools and universities are being leafletted and postered, and the response is enthusiastic. The students are excited to hear about the continuous rock the rulers concert that will be happening at the encampment, and the student actions on the 28th and the 29th. There is a great response to the idea that actions and contingents will focus on how the war in Iraq is also a war at home -- that the cast of SiCKO will particpate saying the money for the war needs to go toward health care; that there will be activities focusing on Katrina, saying money should go to enabling the victims of Katrina and Rita to return to their homes, not for killing people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Outreach will be continuing every day this week and on during the week of the encampment itself. Crews will participate in the demonstration that will happen here in DC tomorrow (Thursday the 20th) in solidarity with the Jenna 6, and also at universities and around the city. Your help is needed. If you can help out with outreach in the DC-MD-VA area, log on to the tonc site and fill in the volunteer form or the "contact us" comments form and let us know!
Schedule for Encampment to Stop the War: Sept 22-29
Schedule for Encampment to Stop the War: Sept 22-29
Below is a preliminary schedule of events for the Encampment to Stop the War, beginning on Saturday, September 22: ACTIONS ALL WEEK
People from around the country will start arriving on Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23. The Encampment will expand to major actions on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, culminating in a mass march on Saturday, September 29.
Saturday, 9/22 & Sunday 9/23 Help erect scaffolding for a giant billboard demanding: 'Congress: Stop Funding the War - Fund Peoples' Needs.' Music and work at the site on tents, canopies, and displays. Crews will be doing outreach throughout neighborhoods in the DC/Baltimore area with sound cars and leafleting brigades.
Monday, 9/24 & Tuesday, 9/25 Actions demanding: - Impeachment of Bush & Cheney for War Crimes - Stop War on Iran - action and a strategy meeting on Emergency Network to focus on the growing threat of a U.S. attack on Iran
Wednesday, 9/26 - Turn up the heat Actions TBA in the halls and offices of Congress to confront their political complicity in the war - Funding the war is a war crime.
Thursday, 9/27 - Stop the War at Home Day - Katrina survivors from New Orleans & Immigrant Rights activists from around the country organizing actions challenging FEMA & ICE. Events at the Encampment focusing on funding people's needs, not war.
Friday, 9/28 - Youth actions challenge military recruiters, war funding & police repression. 'Money for Education, NOT War.'
- Join Evening Vigil with SiCKO cast members at the Lincoln Memorial to remember those who died because they were denied health care.
- A concert of hip-hop and spoken word at the Encampment with BAYAN Philippine Alliance to oppose U.S. military in the Philippines.
Other actions & meetings TBA. Set up, banner & sign making, outreach & organizing all day.
The Troops Out Now coalition has requested legal support from the progressive legal community for their encampment & march in Washington DC from Sept 22-29 . We especially need legal observers for the Sept 29th march.
If you are available to be in DC anytime during the or be on-call, or have additional questions, please contact Imani Henry imani@troopsoutnow.org with your availability and contact information. There is a need for on-call attorneys the entire week, but especially on the 29th.
CALL FOR HOUSING
Housing is desperately needed for encampment participants. City policy prevents participants from actually sleeping on the campsite. Therefore, we need to find free and cheap housing in/around DC for the period of the encampment, in order to make participation in the encampment as broad as possible.
If you can share any space (bed, floorspace, sofa/bed) in your apartment, house, organization or other space, please email housing@troopsoutnow.org. If you are unable to email, please call (917) 279-9720.
Please try to include at least the following information in your email:
* Your Name & Email * Your phone (& best times to call) * Your location * How many people you can house, and what dates (We mainly need housing starting 9/21, but may need some housing earlier for key organizers)
Other helpful information:
* Nearest Metro line/station * Sleeping conditions ("i.e. 1 queen bed plus floorspace for 3 sleeping bags") * Other considerations (i.e. "I have cats/dogs", "It is a 4th-floor walk-up", "Not near any public transportation", etc.)
Drivers/Cars Needed
Attention drivers with vehicles:
If you live in and/or are familiar with the DC-metro area, your help is greatly needed. We will need experienced drivers during then week, to help transport people to/from motels, food from restaurants, equipment, and various other events. If you have availability during the encampment, to help out with this task please contact us at logistics@troopsoutnow.org with the following information:
* Your name and email * Your phone(s) and best times to call * Your Availability to drive from 9/21 to 9/30 * Your vehicle type / how many it seats * Storage space in vehicle.
Other helpful information:
* Your location / distance from Downtown DC
Even if you do not have much time available, but can make your vehicle available, we would greatly appreciate it, as that would greatly reduce rental costs.
Call for Medical Workers for S29 and the Encampment
As part of the preparations for the encampment and the march and rally, we are asking for volunteer health care workers who are doctors, nurses, first aiders and medics to assist at the first aide tent at the encampment and at the demonstration on Saturday.
We will have a bus at the back of the march that will pick up people who are unable to walk the march route. This vichicle will have water and first aide equipment. There will be an orientation the morning of the march.
If you are able to help out please call the International Action Center at 212-633-6646 and ask for or leave a message for Sharon Eolis. You may also email sharone@wwpublish.com.
Namibia Donadio, youth organizer for Troops Out Now and FIST (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together), discussed the struggle for encampment permits at the LA Federal Buildings and the September 29 demonstration to Stop the War - at home AND in Iraq, Afghanistan and everywhere.
Donadio stressed that the encampment and march will go on as planned! Also interviewed was Fernando Suarez whose son was killed in Iraq. Suarez also spoke at the TONC press conference at the Veterans' Cemetery. Listen to the interview on Enfoque Latino con Ruben Tapia at
*Calling for Activist video trainees and volunteers! *
*Work with Peoples Video Network! *
*Train to use cameras, large and small! Edit! Use DVD technology! Stream and distribute your work!*
* *First Workshop Series coordinated with Sept 22-29 Anti-War Encampment and demonstrations in Washington DC: http://www.troopsoutnow.org
Series of workshops in video documentation, camera, editing and distribution. Work with Peoples Video network in hands-on classes and field-work in video activism. Mentoring with seasoned video activists. Final presentation to an appreciative audience. Opportunity to learn distribution to wider audiences.
Our goal is to encourage you to take this course from beginning to end and to participate in Peoples Video Network on an ongoing basis.
Camera:
Workshop 1: handling a small camera in action situations. Care of equipment and safeguarding footage. Coordination with field editors, camera crew
Workshop 2: Learning the Canon XL1 series. Focus, lighting, sound, care of equipment. Work with a team
Field-Work: Field-work will go on throughout training and provide the raw material for viewing, editing and discussion. Document the encampment Sept 22-29 in Washington DC. Learn to shoot at demonstrations and in other action situations. Shooting formal events. Working with the sound crew. Interview technique. Opportunity for independent work as well as mentoring andfeedback sessions.
Workshop 4: Viewing the raw footage. Group comments and feedback in a supportive environment.
Editing:
Workshop 5: Basics of Final Cut Pro. Beginning the editing process; using raw footage from field-work and also from archival material.
Workshop 6: More basics of Final Cut Pro
Distribution:
Workshop 7: Finishing a project and exporting it. Streaming, printing, dvd making
Workshop 8: More concepts of distribution. Discussion of festivals,internet, grants
Final Workshop Presentation
Each video activist will present a sample of work to be shown at a commencement recital event with invited guests.
Sign up for PVN WORKSHOPS: pvn@action-mail.org <mailto:pvn@action-mail.org> or call (212) 340-1286. Leave your name, phone number and e-mail and the best time to reach you.
Encampment to stop wars gathers steam in D.C. and L.A.
Encampment to stop wars gathers steam in D.C. and L.A. By Scott Scheffer Los Angeles Published Sep 9, 2007 10:36 PM
The mainstream media has been writing about the upcoming Congress sessions as if some epic battle between anti-war forces and the Bush/Cheney cabal will take place there.
Not many are as excited about it as the media is. After the last national election, newly elected Democrats wasted no time in making it clear that they would not cut war funding, and that calls to impeach Bush and Cheney for war crimes would be ignored.
The real momentum against the war comes from the people, and there is growing excitement over parallel anti-war/social justice mobilizations during the week of Sept. 22-29 in Washington, D.C., and in Los Angeles. Activists will set up ‘tent cities’ on the lawn of the Capitol in the week leading up to major demonstrations on Sept. 29. In Los Angeles, there will be a three-day tent city at the Westwood Federal Building, followed by a 15-mile walk across Los Angeles on Sept. 25 to the Downtown Federal Building. Another tent city will be set up and will remain there until the mass march and rally on Sept. 29.
The walk across town itself will be a day-long protest with stops at the Israeli Consulate, to demand liberation and the right of Palestinian people to return to their homes, and at the Salvadoran consulate, where the local FMLN will demand that Salvadoran troops pull out of Iraq. Other stops may be added as plans develop.
The actions were called by the Troops Out Now Coalition to carry out an anti-war event that includes organizations and activists fighting for immigrant rights, those who are struggling against the heightening assault on workers, and all others affected by the war. This is reflected in the list of endorsers and participants (see troopsoutnow.org).
In Los Angeles, the events will be kicked off a day earlier with an important action at the Filipino Consulate to mark the anniversary of the imposition of martial law and to protest the arrest of Filipino people’s leader Jose Maria Sison, organized by BAYAN-USA.
Code Pink plans actions in Washington, D.C., and in Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles chapter of American Friends Service Committee, which shut down a Hollywood military recruiting center last year, will carry out a civil disobedience action.
Healthcare will be a major issue at the protests, and some of the people who were featured in Michael Moore’s film “SiCKO” will organize a vigil in Washington on Sept. 28th.
Sept. 27 has been selected to be the day for major immigrant rights actions at both encampments.
As a result of efforts by the Los Angeles chapter of U.S. Labor Against the War, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor has endorsed. Union officials will join Ron Kovic, other anti-war veterans and military resisters such as Agustin Aguayo in a press conference to push the encampment next week. L.A. USLAW plans a teach-in on the war and labor solidarity.
Other actions will highlight the connection between racism and violence against the Iraqi people and others victimized by U.S imperialism, and repression, racism and sexual and gender oppression in the U.S. In Los Angeles, there will be a special event to honor Victoria Arellano, a transwoman who was denied access to AIDS medication by jail officials and died as a result.
From across the country people are boarding buses, flying and driving long distances to get to Washington, D.C., or Los Angeles with their tents and their protest signs to join in these unique and important actions to stop the war against workers and the poor, and to stop the U.S. wars abroad.
Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, has made his long-awaited report to the U.S. Senate. As expected, it was crafted to bolster the Bush administration’s claims that, having sent tens of thousands more troops into combat over the last few months, it is now making “progress” in that ravaged country. Indeed, the report had been “vetted” by the White House itself.
Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, also testified in a similar vein.
The administration’s vow to prolong the war is sure to be answered by tens of thousands of protesters who will descend on Washington in September to demand an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Senate Democrats and a few Republicans asked Petraeus the kinds of questions that showed their extreme skepticism with his claims. Five of the senators on the panels that heard the general’s testimony are candidates for president. They are very aware of the mass anti-war sentiment in the U.S. that is also growing among the troops themselves. They took advantage of this forum to make thinly veiled campaign speeches.
According to the U.S. Constitution, it is Congress, not the White House, that has the right to declare war and to raise the money for it. Less than a year ago, completely disgusted with this war, the electorate voted out enough Republicans to give both houses of Congress a Democratic majority. Ever since grammar school, they had been taught that this was how you change the government and its policies.
Yet the unanimous view of all the big capitalist media today is that none of the political theater now happening in Washington will lead to any significant withdrawal of troops from Iraq, nor will the Democratic Party lead a struggle to stop the funding of the war—which will be up for a vote within the next month.
Partisan politics and posturing
Looking at what happens in Washington purely from the point of view of partisan politics, all this can seem quite puzzling. Aren’t the Democrats the opposition party? Don’t they know they’ll get more votes if they seize the golden opportunity Bush has given them and voice their opposition to this most unpopular war?
Yes, they know it very well. And so they talk quite eloquently about the lying, the deceit and all the “blunders” that caused the war to go ahead. Of course, they voted to make it happen in the first place, so they have to excuse themselves by saying they, too, were deceived.
Talk is one thing. Voting to stop the funding of the war is quite different. When that subject comes up, the now-majority party suddenly pleads weakness and invokes the probability of a presidential veto.
None of this should be surprising. Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992 promising a health care plan that would cover everyone in the country. He won the election and the Democrats also took both houses of Congress. But the health care plan was dropped after running into stiff opposition from industry lobbyists. His administration also gutted the welfare system, which had been a safety net for the very poor since the Depression.
And, far from pursuing a peaceful foreign policy, the Clinton administration, together with Europe’s imperialist powers, also launched a war against Yugoslavia that saw the merciless U.S. bombing of the capital city of Belgrade—a prelude to “shock and awe.”
Vietnam: similar but reversed
More and more, the present war is being compared to Vietnam. Then, the political situation was reversed from what it is now.
It was two Democratic Party administrations—under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson—that started the war. The public had to be deceived, of course, so in 1964 an “incident” was cooked up that later was proven to be phony. But the Senate passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave the president the authority and funds to vastly escalate the war. Only two senators opposed it.
When Richard M. Nixon ran for president in 1968, he claimed to have a plan to end the war. It dragged on for seven more years under two Republican administrations. Millions of Vietnamese were killed in combat and by abuse and torture; the land was poisoned by Agent Orange and other chemicals that are still causing birth defects and lingering deaths today; nearly 60,000 U.S. soldiers were also killed and a huge number disabled by both physical and psychological injuries.
The determining factor in both these wars is not which party controls the White House or the Congress. It is how the ruling class of the United States sees its interests. If the super-rich think a war will open up vast new areas for exploitation and profit, their attitude is: Go for it.
This view then becomes the dominant one in the corporate media and among the politicians of both capitalist parties. All kinds of justifications are invented to convince ordinary working people, the ones who have to do the fighting and dying, that the war is for a noble cause, that their way of life is threatened and that the targeted people are an evil enemy.
If, however, the war fails to achieve its objectives despite overwhelming U.S. military superiority, if the heroic resistance of the Vietnamese or the Iraqis prevents the kind of stability that would allow for “orderly” capitalist exploitation of their labor and natural resources, then voices of dissent begin to be heard even within the U.S. ruling establishment itself.
This is where things are at now with the war in Iraq. Even more than Vietnam, the economic stakes are immense. Iraq’s strategic location in the Middle East—at a time when the huge oil companies and the military-industrial-banking complex see control over the world’s petroleum as vital to their immense wealth and power—is the main reason why few politicians have taken a definite stand for immediate withdrawal. To do so would bring down the wrath of the corporate media, which is so embedded with the military-industrial complex that it still uses phrases like “cut and run.”
At the same time, the military can’t recruit, so it has to send soldiers back to Iraq for a third tour, risking potential mutiny. Immigrant workers are told that joining the military is the only way to get legal documents. Senators can still be forced out through anti-gay entrapment but not because they voted for a criminal war. Police shootings and overstuffed prisons show where the racist brutality behind Abu Ghraib comes from.
And the U.S. economy is turning sour, disproving the idea that war brings prosperity for the many along with the profits for a few.
Even the puppet government in Iraq chosen by the U.S. occupation is being criticized for not being able to carry out its master’s orders to “pacify” the country.
With all this, won’t the ruling class establishment just decide it’s in their interests to end the war?
Not yet. There is no easy way to end this war. The first thing to understand is that the people, not the capitalist political establishment, will do it. The orders to really bring the troops home will be written only when the ruling class has become convinced that it will never win, no matter how many soldiers it grinds up and no matter how much suffering and destruction it inflicts on the Iraqi nation.
That will take more than the resistance in Iraq. It requires a storm at home, a rebellion of the type that swept this country in the sixties and seventies.
The youth, facing the military draft, joined forces with returning GIs to rock the establishment. Rebellions against racism in hundreds of cities were also huge de-facto demonstrations against the war. The military chain of command broke down as soldiers deserted, demonstrated, disobeyed orders and even “fragged” their officers.
Several anti-war demonstrations are coming up in Washington—a march called by ANSWER on Sept. 15, followed by the Troops Out Now Coalition’s Sept. 22-29 Encampment on the Mall and march to Congress to say NO to war funding. TONC is also organizing an encampment and mass march in Los Angeles. These protests must let the real rulers of this country know that they face another period like the sixties if they don’t end this abominable war.
Articles copyright 1995-2007 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
PETRAEUS REPORT Senators posture, but will they vote war funds? By Deirdre Griswold Published Sep 12, 2007 11:43 PM
Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, has made his long-awaited report to the U.S. Senate. As expected, it was crafted to bolster the Bush administration’s claims that, having sent tens of thousands more troops into combat over the last few months, it is now making “progress” in that ravaged country. Indeed, the report had been “vetted” by the White House itself.
Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, also testified in a similar vein.
The administration’s vow to prolong the war is sure to be answered by tens of thousands of protesters who will descend on Washington in September to demand an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Senate Democrats and a few Republicans asked Petraeus the kinds of questions that showed their extreme skepticism with his claims. Five of the senators on the panels that heard the general’s testimony are candidates for president. They are very aware of the mass anti-war sentiment in the U.S. that is also growing among the troops themselves. They took advantage of this forum to make thinly veiled campaign speeches.
According to the U.S. Constitution, it is Congress, not the White House, that has the right to declare war and to raise the money for it. Less than a year ago, completely disgusted with this war, the electorate voted out enough Republicans to give both houses of Congress a Democratic majority. Ever since grammar school, they had been taught that this was how you change the government and its policies.
Yet the unanimous view of all the big capitalist media today is that none of the political theater now happening in Washington will lead to any significant withdrawal of troops from Iraq, nor will the Democratic Party lead a struggle to stop the funding of the war—which will be up for a vote within the next month.
Partisan politics and posturing
Looking at what happens in Washington purely from the point of view of partisan politics, all this can seem quite puzzling. Aren’t the Democrats the opposition party? Don’t they know they’ll get more votes if they seize the golden opportunity Bush has given them and voice their opposition to this most unpopular war?
Yes, they know it very well. And so they talk quite eloquently about the lying, the deceit and all the “blunders” that caused the war to go ahead. Of course, they voted to make it happen in the first place, so they have to excuse themselves by saying they, too, were deceived.
Talk is one thing. Voting to stop the funding of the war is quite different. When that subject comes up, the now-majority party suddenly pleads weakness and invokes the probability of a presidential veto.
None of this should be surprising. Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992 promising a health care plan that would cover everyone in the country. He won the election and the Democrats also took both houses of Congress. But the health care plan was dropped after running into stiff opposition from industry lobbyists. His administration also gutted the welfare system, which had been a safety net for the very poor since the Depression.
And, far from pursuing a peaceful foreign policy, the Clinton administration, together with Europe’s imperialist powers, also launched a war against Yugoslavia that saw the merciless U.S. bombing of the capital city of Belgrade—a prelude to “shock and awe.”
Vietnam: similar but reversed
More and more, the present war is being compared to Vietnam. Then, the political situation was reversed from what it is now.
It was two Democratic Party administrations—under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson—that started the war. The public had to be deceived, of course, so in 1964 an “incident” was cooked up that later was proven to be phony. But the Senate passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave the president the authority and funds to vastly escalate the war. Only two senators opposed it.
When Richard M. Nixon ran for president in 1968, he claimed to have a plan to end the war. It dragged on for seven more years under two Republican administrations. Millions of Vietnamese were killed in combat and by abuse and torture; the land was poisoned by Agent Orange and other chemicals that are still causing birth defects and lingering deaths today; nearly 60,000 U.S. soldiers were also killed and a huge number disabled by both physical and psychological injuries.
The determining factor in both these wars is not which party controls the White House or the Congress. It is how the ruling class of the United States sees its interests. If the super-rich think a war will open up vast new areas for exploitation and profit, their attitude is: Go for it.
This view then becomes the dominant one in the corporate media and among the politicians of both capitalist parties. All kinds of justifications are invented to convince ordinary working people, the ones who have to do the fighting and dying, that the war is for a noble cause, that their way of life is threatened and that the targeted people are an evil enemy.
If, however, the war fails to achieve its objectives despite overwhelming U.S. military superiority, if the heroic resistance of the Vietnamese or the Iraqis prevents the kind of stability that would allow for “orderly” capitalist exploitation of their labor and natural resources, then voices of dissent begin to be heard even within the U.S. ruling establishment itself.
This is where things are at now with the war in Iraq. Even more than Vietnam, the economic stakes are immense. Iraq’s strategic location in the Middle East—at a time when the huge oil companies and the military-industrial-banking complex see control over the world’s petroleum as vital to their immense wealth and power—is the main reason why few politicians have taken a definite stand for immediate withdrawal. To do so would bring down the wrath of the corporate media, which is so embedded with the military-industrial complex that it still uses phrases like “cut and run.”
At the same time, the military can’t recruit, so it has to send soldiers back to Iraq for a third tour, risking potential mutiny. Immigrant workers are told that joining the military is the only way to get legal documents. Senators can still be forced out through anti-gay entrapment but not because they voted for a criminal war. Police shootings and overstuffed prisons show where the racist brutality behind Abu Ghraib comes from.
And the U.S. economy is turning sour, disproving the idea that war brings prosperity for the many along with the profits for a few.
Even the puppet government in Iraq chosen by the U.S. occupation is being criticized for not being able to carry out its master’s orders to “pacify” the country.
With all this, won’t the ruling class establishment just decide it’s in their interests to end the war?
Not yet. There is no easy way to end this war. The first thing to understand is that the people, not the capitalist political establishment, will do it. The orders to really bring the troops home will be written only when the ruling class has become convinced that it will never win, no matter how many soldiers it grinds up and no matter how much suffering and destruction it inflicts on the Iraqi nation.
That will take more than the resistance in Iraq. It requires a storm at home, a rebellion of the type that swept this country in the sixties and seventies.
The youth, facing the military draft, joined forces with returning GIs to rock the establishment. Rebellions against racism in hundreds of cities were also huge de-facto demonstrations against the war. The military chain of command broke down as soldiers deserted, demonstrated, disobeyed orders and even “fragged” their officers.
Several anti-war demonstrations are coming up in Washington—a march called by ANSWER on Sept. 15, followed by the Troops Out Now Coalition’s Sept. 22-29 Encampment on the Mall and march to Congress to say NO to war funding. TONC is also organizing an encampment and mass march in Los Angeles. These protests must let the real rulers of this country know that they face another period like the sixties if they don’t end this abominable war.
No more phony deadlines!: Response to Gen. Petraeus
No more phony deadlines! Not another day. Not another dollar. Bring the troops home now!
Congress: Don't use the report from Petraeus to betray us!
Today, Sept. 10, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, gave his much-anticipated assessment of the results of the "surge." The recommendations General Petraeus made were no surprise. As expected, he said that that U.S. troop levels need to remain at high levels until next summer.
This report by General Petraeus, who has consistently supported and echoed the failed policies of the Bush administration, is just the latest ploy to continue the occupation by creating phony deadlines that provide political cover for members of Congress--from both parties--to continue voting to fund the war.
Last November, after voters in the U.S. gave Congress a clear mandate to bring the troops home and end the criminal occupation, the Bush administration and its allies in Congress repeatedly said, "Wait for the Baker-Hamilton report."
After the report was published, rather than bring the troops home the Bush administration deployed more troops to Iraq in a "surge" supported by both parties in Congress.
Then, in March, as anti-war sentiment continued to grow, the response from Bush and Congress was: "Wait until September for the report by General Petraeus."
Now that report has been made and Petraeus is proposing a new vague deadline: next summer, when he says that it may be possible to reduce troop levels.
We should recognize that these deadlines and reports are political theater, designed to dampen anti-war mobilizing. Even the way the "debate" is framed is a lie. The administration and its generals are saying that the surge is meant to stem the violence; critics in Congress are saying that it has failed. But the surge IS violence, at an unprecedented level. It is the U.S. occupation that has brought this daily blood-letting to Iraq, along with the total disruption of daily life.
Every day that the war continues, more Iraqi people and U.S. soldiers are killed.
Every day that the war continues, the Pentagon spends another $720 million on war in Iraq--money that is robbed from working people here, who need healthcare, education and affordable housing, not war and occupation.
While Congress pretends to debate whether or not the surge is working, it is important to note that the invasion of Iraq was a crime from the very beginning, and that “success” means the subjugation of the people of Iraq, along with Wall Street’s control of their vast petroleum reserves.
We must demand that the troops be brought home now. Not another day. Not another dollar. No more phony deadlines.
We call upon activists to support the many acts of protest and resistance planned for this month. We should escalate the protests as they have escalated the war.
The protests started with anti-war chants as Petraeus was speaking.
Then, on Sept. 15, a march in Washington organized by the ANSWER coalition will demand an end to the war and the impeachment of Bush.
On Oct. 1, current funding for the war expires. This spring, the Democratic leaders in Congress betrayed their mandate and voted to continue to fund the war against the people of Iraq. As Congress debates Bush's new funding request, we must be there to let them know that we're not going to let them betray us again.
During the week of Sept. 22-29, activists from across the U.S. are organizing an Encampment to Stop the War, directly in front of the Capitol. The Encampment, sponsored by the Troops Out Now Coalition, will include daily acts of protest and resistance, building for a massive March from the Capitol to the White House on Sept. 29.
We cannot wait for more phony deadlines--we need to set a deadline and demand that the troops be brought home now. Here's how you can help:
1) Help get the word out - download leaflets: http://troopsoutnow.org/downloads.html
2) Donate to help with organizing expenses: http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml
3) Become a local organizer: http://www.troopsoutnow.org/sept2207volunteer.shtml
4) Link to us - graphic buttons available at: http://troopsoutnow.org/buttons.html
Troops Out Now Coalition 55 W. 17th St. #5C NY NY 10011 www.TroopsOutNow.org 212.633-6646
CALL FOR MEDICAL WORKERS for the S29 and ENCAMPMENT
CALL FOR MEDICAL WORKERS for the S29 and ENCAMPMENT
As part of the preparations for the encampment and the march and rally, we are asking for volunteer health care workers who are doctors, nurses, first aiders and medics to assist at the first aide tent at the encampment and at the demonstration on Saturday.
We will have a bus at the back of the march that will pick up people who are unable to walk the march route. This vichicle will have water and first aide equipment. There will be an orientation the morning of the march.
If you are able to help out please call the International Action Center at 212-633-6646 and ask for or leave a message for Sharon Eolis. You may also email sharone@wwpublish.com.
Julie Pierce & Tracey Jr., Donna & Larry Smith, Adrian Campbell, Dawnelle Keys, Rev Andy Bales, Dr. Linda Peeno, who courageously shared their lives, vision and pain in Michael Moore’s film “SICKO” will be taking a stand. They will be coming to Washington D.C. to protest the war on September 28 and marching for Healthcare, Not war on Sept. 29th. Take a stand too and come to Washington D.C.
Say NO to War Funding - Demand Money for Health Care, Jobs, & Education NOT War and Occupation - SEPT 22-29
Join the cast of “SICKO” for a vigil on Friday evening to honor the life of Tracey Pierce and to demand justice for him and all of the many other victims of the profit first, people last – healthcare system. (See box below.)
AND MARCH WITH THE CAST OF “SICKO” ON SEPTEMBER 29TH to demand Healthcare, Not Warfare. People from all over the country who are sick of seeing billions of dollars wasted on war and occupation and who feel that people’s needs must come first will be forming a giant contingent to demand healthcare for all at the Sept. 29th march to stop the war in Washington D.C.
They will be joining trade union and community activists who are tired of seeing layoffs, mortgage foreclosures and cuts; students and youth who are questioning the injustice of the war; veterans and active duty GI’s who are courageously speaking out against the war; Katrina/Rita survivors who are still fighting for their long over due rights; immigrant workers who are facing unfair deportations; and the tens of thousands of other people who simply want to bring the troops home now.
IT IS URGENT TO ACT NOW because funding for the war and occupation of Iraq will expire on Oct 1st. At this time Congress will be considering the largest increase ever to fund the war. They will be voting on an additional $50 billion on top of the $147 billion already allocated to continue the war.
We cannot be silent! One fourth of the Iraq war budget alone could pay for health care for close to 47 million uninsured people. Join the Encampment across from Congress, in front of the Capitol from Sept 22 to 29 to demand that NO WAR FUNDING; attend the Friday evening vigil; and MARCH ON SATURDAY.
If you cannot come to Washington, you can still help. Please donate (http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml) whatever you can to help others join the march. Every single dollar helps to make our voices stronger. Your donations can help pay for buses, flyers, picket signs, mailings and all of the necessary costs. Everyone can be a part of this effort.
For more information see: www.TroopsOutNow.org/HealthCareNotWarfare.html
Now that the summer’s over, we need to ramp up the mobilizing for the September 29th March on Washington and the Encampment.
We only have 15 days left until the Encampment begins. To help with the mobilizing for the demonstration there are weekly volunteer meetings on Wednesday nights at 7PM at the Solidarity Center at 55 West 17th Street, 5C in Manhattan. We have been leafletting and postering on Saturdays and throughout the week. Our next important outreach day is Saturday, September 8th at 11AM at the office. If you are not able to come in on Saturday, please come by to pick up leaflets, stickers, and posters to get up in your community. The office is open from 1- 8 PM Monday through Friday and 11AM until 5 PM on Saturday.
Troops Out Now Coalition 55 W. 17th St. #5C NY NY 10011 212.633.6646 www.troopsoutnow.org
As part of the national effort to build towards September being a truly ‘Anti-War Month’ we are building a united set of actions that involve youth and students.
From September 22 to 29, activists working on a number of different struggles from around the country will be coming together in Washington, D.C. and setting up an encampment in front of Congress to raise the stakes in the anti-war movement during a week of direct actions against the war.
We want to make Friday, September 28, a Youth and Student Day of Action in which autonomous, student- and youth-led direct actions originate from this space.
Then, we will all be marching together in a youth and student contingent in the September 29th anti-war demos in Washington and LA.
In order to be able to have conversations about what types of actions will happen on the 28th in a way that is both democratic and safe (ie-not on the internet), organizers will be convening consultas in the coming weeks in different regions of the country for folks to come together and plan. We will hopefully have all the dates of the consultas sorted out within the next week and will post that information here. If you as an individual or your campus organization would like to hold a consulta or endorse the youth day of action, please let us know.
Chapters of anti-war youth and student groups from all over the nation including various SDS, CAN, FIST and Campus Greens chapters have already begun to organize around these actions. Please add your name to the endorsement list by emailing youthantiwarweek@gmail.com
Please keep checking back here in the coming days and weeks as we will continue to update this page with more information.
from Protest to Resistance... Cut Off ALL War Funding! Fund People's Needs - NOT War!
It's time to turn up the heat! Funding for the criminal war in Iraq will expire on October 1. The month of September will see the next big struggle over war funding, but this time the antiwar movement needs to be there to demand the immediate cut off of all war funding.
We have all seen that the Democratic leadership in Congress, despite being elected with a clear mandate to end the war, has completely capitulated to the Bush Administration. We cannot wait for politicians to end the war.
In addition to the enormous cost in human lives - more than 600,000 Iraqis and nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers - the attempt to occupy and colonize Iraq has already cost more than $1 trillion. Every day, the Pentagon spends another $720 million.
This is money that is stolen from working people who need funding for human needs.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported last week that:
• 36.5 million people in the U.S. lived below the official poverty line in 2006.
• 47 million people in the U.S. were without health insurance in 2006, up from 44.8 million in 2005.
• The number of uninsured children increased from 8 million (10.9 percent) in 2005 to 8.7 million (11.7 percent) in 2006.
Meanwhile, infrastructure is crumbling. Schools are understaffed and falling apart. Affordable housing is disappearing. And almost nothing has been done to rebuild the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.
Let's bring the occupation to Washington and demand money for human needs, not war! On September 29, tens of thousands of activists, community organizers, youth and students, veterans, military families, and health care activists will march on the White House to Demand: Cut off ALL War Funding! Fund People's Needs, NOT War!
Buses, vans, and car caravans are coming from more than 75 organizing centers, with more than 100 buses already scheduled, and more being added every day. Organizing a mobilization of this scale is enormously expensive -- please consider making a donation online at http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml.
Also, during the week of September 22-29, antiwar activists will erect an Encampment on the Lawn directly across from the Capitol. The site of the Encampment is a square of land directly in front of the Capitol, where we will maintain a determined, visible 24-hour antiwar presence as a direct challenge to the politicians - both Republican and Democrat - who voted for the war and vote to continue to fund the war.
Organizing a week-long enccampment and a national march is an enormous organizational challenge, and we need your help. Please consider helping with the costs by making an online donation at http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml.
Activists, military families, veterans, trade unionists, and community organizers from activists from across the U.S. are planning to erect a tent city, in Washington, DC, which will be a center of organizing, resistance, and action for the week. At the same time, activists will also be converging in Los Angeles for a West Coast week-long antiwar Encampment and March (see http://www.iacenterla.org for more information and to get involved.)
If you want the social justice issues you are fighting for to be seen and heard around the world and by the national media, then bring your displays, art, graphics and signs to the week long encampment.
Many local and national organizations are planning to have their own tents for the Encampment. There will be actions, protests, and speak outs organized by health care activists, military family members, immigrant rights organizers, and more.
Each day will have a variety of different activities, focused on the impeachment of Bush and Cheney for war crimes, student and youth action, political prisoners, Katrina, stopping a war against Iran, and more. Each night will feature "Culture and Resistance," including spoken word artists, musicians, poets, and more.
Many of the working people that Michael Moore featured in SICKO are planning a special candle-light vigil for all those who have died for lack of health care.
Youth are meeting and planning resistance actions in the Congressional office buildings and streets of DC.
At the end of the week, activists at the Encampment will join tens of thousands of people from across the country for the massive March on Washington on September 29.
Organizing a week-long encampment and a national demonstration is a major challenge, and we need your help with the enormous expenses. Please consider making a donation online at http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml.
We need your input planning giant displays, literature and organizing tents, skill sharing sessions, and acts of creative protest and resistance. Please contact us to share your ideas and to volunteer to help organize for the encampment.
Over the next few days, we will be posting a calendar of events for the Encampment. If your group would like to organize a tent, protest action, teach-in, etc. please contact us.
We are developing a list of inexpensive housing in the area and will be posting it soon -- activists who are able to join us all week, should also line up housing in the area. We can be a presence on site around the clock but we can not actually sleep at night or cook on-site.
If you are in the Washington DC - Maryland - Virginia area, we need your help with housing, food, transportation and help on set-up. Please contact us online or by phone at 212-633-6646.
Calling for Activist video trainees and volunteers!
Calling for Activist video trainees and volunteers! Work with Peoples Video Network! Peoples Video Network
Train to use cameras, large and small! Edit! Use DVD technology! Stream and distribute your work!
First Workshop Series coordinated with Sept 22-29 Anti-War Encampment and demonstrations in Washington DC: http://www.troopsoutnow.org
Series of workshops in video documentation, camera, editing and distribution. Work with Peoples Video network in hands-on classes and field-work in video activism. Mentoring with seasoned video activists. Final presentation to an appreciative audience. Opportunity to learn distribution to wider audiences. Our goal is to encourage you to take this course from beginning to end and to participate in Peoples Video Network on an ongoing basis.
Camera: Workshop 1: Learning the Canon XL1 series. Focus, lighting, sound, care of equipment. Work with a team Workshop 2: handling a small camera in action situations. Care of equipment and safeguarding footage. Coordination with field editors, camera crew Workshop 3: Interview technique. Lighting, sound, conducting interviews.
Field-Work: Field-work will go on throughout training and provide the raw material for viewing, editing and discussion. Document the encampment Sept 22-29 in Washington DC. Learn to shoot at demonstrations and in other action situations. Shooting formal events. Working with the sound crew. Interview technique. Opportunity for independent work as well as mentoring and feedback sessions.
Workshop 4: Viewing the raw footage. Group comments and feedback in a supportive environment.
Editing: Workshop 5: Basics of Final Cut Pro. Beginning the editing process; using raw footage from field-work and also from archival material. Workshop 6: More basics of Final Cut Pro
Distribution: Workshop 7: Finishing a project and exporting it. Streaming, printing, dvd making Workshop 8: More concepts of distribution. Discussion of festivals, internet, grants
Final Workshop Presentation
Each video activist will present a sample of work to be shown at a commencement recital event with invited guests.
Sign up for PVN WORKSHOPS: pvn@action-mail.org or call (212) 340-1286. Leave your name, phone number and e-mail and the best time to reach you.
Join Stop War in Iran in Washington DC September 22-29 for the
Encampment to Stop the War directly in front of the Capitol
and the Sept 29 March on Washington
Today President Bush once again threatened to use the Pentagon’s weapons of mass destruction by refusing to ‘rule out the use of force.” against Iran. Yesterday, speaking before the American Legion, he said,"Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations everywhere, and the United States is rallying friends and allies to isolate Iran's regime, to impose economic sanctions."
We must take action now to stop the Bush Administration's drive towards a new war.
During the week of September 22-29, antiwar activists will erect an encampment on the Lawn directly across from the Capitol. The site of the Encampment is a square of land directly in front of the Capitol, where we will maintain a determined, visible 24-hour antiwar presence as a direct challenge to the politicians - both Republican and Democrat - who voted for the war and vote to continue to fund the war. The Stop War on Iran Campaign will be there all week, with displays, a Stop War on Iran tent, special programs, and teach-ins.
On September 29, we will join tens of thousands for a massive march on the White House. There are now more than 75 organizing centers from more than 32 states for September 29, and more than 1,600 endorsers.
Now, more than ever, it is vital that we be in the streets to demand an end to the bipartisan program of endless war. President Bush continues to threaten the people of Iran, using (once again) claims about "weapons of mass destruction." And once again, Congress is unwilling to oppose the Bush agenda in the Middle East.
There are now 3 aircraft carrier groups in the Persian Gulf area and almost half of all the ships in the U.S. Navy are withing striking range of Iran. Vice President Cheney and others in the Administration are pushing hard for military action.
We have all seen that the Democratic leadership in Congress, despite being elected with a clear mandate to end the war in Iraq, has completely capitulated to the Bush Administration. We cannot wait for politicians to end the war. And we can't wait while they plan to launch a new war.
With the confrontation in September over the Iraq war gaining momentum, there is the growing risk that a weakened and isolated administration will risk wider war as a reckless way of overwhelming opposition to his criminal policies. Please consider joining us for the week of the Encampment, September 22-29, even if only for a day or two. There will be a Stop War on Iran program at the Encampment in the early part of the week - Monday or Tuesday.
Then, help build a Stop War on Iran contingent in the September 29 March on the White House.
Buses, vans and cars are coming from around the country and from a city near you. Momentum for the Encampment to Stop the War (Sept. 22-29) and the March on Washington (Sept. 29) is growing, with Organizing Centers in 75 cities, more than 100 buses scheduled and many more expected. The list of endorsers is growing daily, with more than 1,600 organizations, community groups and organizers. Recent endorsers include World Can't Wait, the Green Party of the U.S., Carlos Arredondo, Not In Our Name, former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Michael Parenti, MECAWI, Charles Barron, Ramsey Clark, Code Pink, After Downing Street, Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace, Ron Kovic, Michael Berg, numerous chapters of Military Families Speak Out and Veterans for Peace and more.
The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) is a national grassroots coalition of antiwar activists, trade unionists, solidarity activists and community organizers.
For more information, or to find out how you can get involved, visit our homepage at TroopsOutNow.org
Pam Parker at D.C. Sept. 29 rally. " border="0"> 
